10 things no-one ever tells you about working in PR

April 1, 2008

We put our heads together here at the PR and Comms Network. Then nothing happened, so we spoke to some people, and here it is; the not-so definitive, more than slightly tongue-in-cheek list of the 10 things no-one ever lets on about working in PR. If you think we’ve missed something out dive into the comments. ..

1] Publicity isn’t just something you aim at for clients. It’s a philosophy you live by. And that applies to your own internal PR as much as any client.

2] The glory is never yours. It’s the spokesperson’s, the client’s, the agency’s, the account director’s… then it might be yours. If there’s any left over.

3] Playing on Facebook and blogs would prove useful in the end. Yep, digital is the future, just in case you’d been allowed to forget.

4] You should like living in London. Otherwise your job prospects might be somewhat reduced.

6] Whatever it is you thought ‘my God I couldn’t bear to work in that sector’ ;that’s what you’ll end up working on. It’s sod’s law, but true. Hate finance? Hello city calendar work. Technophobe? Welcome to consumer-tech PR.

7] Accountants and Lawyers look down upon your profession. How this reversal of fortune from your previous scorn for their boring jobs occurred is not at all evident.

8] No-one will actually understand what your job involves, achieves, or demands. Quite possibly you never will yourself..

9] Actually the boys aren’t all gay, the girls aren’t all pretty, and virtually no-one is glamorous. Disappointing for many.

10] Why can’t people understand that your industry is not a verb? ‘To PR’ never appeared in any dictionary I possessed.

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This entry was posted on April 1, 2008 at 9:51 am and is filed under 10 PR truths.

[…] 10 Things No-one Ever Tells You About Working In PR I actually came across this on Strive Notes. I found it entertaining, and partly true. Number eight is my favorite. My boyfriend, parents, and friends don’t understand (other than my friends that are in PR). […]

I am currently taking public relations in school right now and I think point 8 is quite true. When ever I tell someone I am taking PR in school they always ask oh PR what is that, what job are you going to do when you are done.

And for point 6 – our teachers always say this is true. If you want to work agency you will end up working corporate. If you want to work corporate you will end up working not-for-profit.

I have been studying PR at university for nearly 3 years now and I still don’t have a clue what PR is really about. There are so many aspects to it that there is no clear definition which makes it even more difficult trying to explain to other people what it is.